Gas-meter.



TQJACKSON.

GAS METER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-27,1914.

Patented Aug. 3, 1915.

INVENTOR J W ATTORNEY HQMASJ GKSQN. r man ENGLAND, ee n Qe o EQIiN MESA? waem GAS-METER;

. s pecificationaofLetters Patent. 7

PatenteOtAug. 3, 1 915.

To. all whom it may concern Be it known that hTnoiuAs JACKSON, subject of the King of Great Britain Tree land, residingat 7 Milton Court road, New Cross, London, S. E, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gas-Meters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to gas meters and has for its object the construction and arrangement of such a device in a simple manner, at low cost, having a high degree of accuracy, great facility of adjustment and increased simplicity of manufacture and as sembly of parts.

This invention consists of an expansible and contractible chamber, the moving wall of which takes up an angular disposition during the expansion and contraction of the chamber which ranges from a angle with the horizontal line a point of zero angularity to a angle with the horizontal line. Upon this moving wall is mounted directly a valve arrangement controlled by gravity during the consequent tilting of the valve box so that the supply of gas and discharge. of it from the said ehamber are alternately effected. The reciprocating or oscillating motion of the said chamber Wall is utilized to operate by means of a ratchet and pawl arrangement or equivalent device a counting mechanism registering the number of reciprocations and consequently the amount of the gas passed through the cham her. In order to reduce the error of registration or in other words to reduce the lost motion in the transmission gear, teeth of small pitch are used on the ratchet wheel, and multiple pawls having a range of disposition of their engaging edges equal to the pitch of the teeth are arranged to act on the ratchet wheel. It will be seen that in this way the angular movement of the wall of the chamber and consequently the change of volume of the same can be accurately transmitted to the counting mechanism. 7 If only one chamber is used, a yielding force must be employed for the gas pressure to act against in expanding the chamber the said yielding force operating to cause the cut; off. andthe contained gasis to. be delivered fer use. two orm'ore chambers. beused theyvcanv be arranged to act .one against the other so. thatthe incoming gas isiu d d e tly o l the O oi g as fromthe device insteadot this. being done indirectly" through the medium I of said yieldingforce. i

Referringto the drawings which form part of this specification liigure l'is a sectional view ot a mete r. casefcontairiing the improved mechanism .which isf shown in elevation. Fig. 2 is. afsectional view of a modified form of valve mechanism. Fig. 3 is a similar. view of a further modification. To carry the invention into efi'ejctwithin the meter case a I arrange expan'sible chamber or chambers having a valve box d mounted on the moving wall 72 of each, @8- pansible. chamberb. Agravity controlled device for controlling the valves c,' is situated outside the valve box or boxes at; and uat -by t recipr atie 1 h ov ee Wall or walls. k of the said expansible chain" v ber or chambers The valves crock about ax s a d. e pe at d by a S n l pas ing to the outside. of the valve boxes 03, at: tached toan arm 7. This arm is pivotally attached to one. end of a connecting bar preferably by a spring element It so as to set up a certain amount of resiliency between the parts connected. Pivoted either on the support z'fixedly mounted on the casing 00 or equivalently on the movable part is of the chambers 72 is a lever a connected to the bar g, and carryin a weight at its upper end,'and adapted 0 pass apoint of unstable qui br m r m i S de s thatafts such point been passed the action of a y i he W igh m Will nt ue t e movement of the bar g. In order to make the partsvery sensitive a moving weight n is disposed in or upon the weight m so as to move from side to sidewhen passing the point of unstable equilibrium in order to increase the moment of gravity about the axisof the lever Z. In the drawing the weight m is shown the form of a" tube, an he rolling e ement a is ha a a ball, but it is obvious that there are other ways of arranging these two elements in order to produce the desired effect; The weight m is shown-in the position wh1ch 1t gravity to carry the lever Z into the right hand dotted position so as to open and close the valves (3 on each chamber respectively. It will be noticed thatwhen the weight m arrives at either terminal dotted position, a

shock is likely to be created by the valves. comingon their seat suddenly, and to avoid i this, and to insureabsolute closure of the two valves 0 on each chamber 6, the spring h, or other equivalent resilient element. is

nism. The number of operations of the chamber 6 is registered in known manner by a connecting rodo, adjustable on its lower end as to its point. of pivoting, by

' means of a slot 9, the upper end operating "w may be arranged which is directly conthe counting mechanism Q .b'y-ratchets r. in

the manner well understood. V

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3 in order to'proe vide means of adjustment for varying the lift .of the valves, and to insure that the valves co-act with their seatings at any point of adjustment, the valves 0 are formed of balls, each ball a being held in a cage .9 carried on a screwed stem t and mounted on 'rockmg arm a pivoted about a fixed axis 12.] Each stem 27 can be screwed up and down 1n the rocking arm u and be locked in position by a lock nut to. In order to provide a supplemental adjustment a second rocking arm nected to the spindle e and'which' carries adjustable contact studs y which are'screwed into the arm 00 and locked in place by lock nuts 2.

It will be seen that the volumetric ca-' pacity of the chambers b can be varied with great nicety by the adjustment of the valves 0 relative to their seatings, and by the supplemental adjustment of the stud ywhere such is provided.

I claim: .1. A gas meter having, in combmatmn, an expansible and contractlble measurmg chamber or chambers each having amovable wall, gravity controlled valve operating mechanism mounted upon an axis, a supplemental weight adapted to augment the action of the gravity-controlled valveoperating mechanism when the said supplemental weight is caused to pass a point of unstable equilibrium, a valve box on the movable wall of each measuring chamber, two valves in each valve box for controlling the 'g'as admise sion and exit therefrom, connecting means.

from said operating mechanism to said valves to open and close them alternately, a counting mechanism and means operated by one of the' said movable walls of the said measuring chamber adapted to register each volumetric movement of the said chamber wall, substantially as described.

2 A gas meter having in combination an expansible and contractible measurmg chamber or chambers each having a movable wall, a gravity controlled valve operating mechanism comprising a pivoted lever, a movable weight carried at the upper end valve box for controlling the gas admission provlded in the tram of operat ng mechaand exit therefrom, connecting means from sa1d operating mechanism to sa1d valves to thereof and adapted to move relatively to r the said movable walls of the said measuring chamber adapted to register each voluf metric movement of'the said chamber wall, substantiallyas described.

3. A gas meter having, in combination, an expansible and contractible measuring chamber or chambers each having a movable wall, gravity-controlled valve-operating mechanism mounted upon an axis, a supplemental weight adapted to augment the actionof the gravity-controlled valve-operating mechanismwhen the said supplemental weightis caused to pass a point of unstable equilibrium, a valve box on the movable wall of each measuring chamber, two valves in each valve box for controlling the gas'admission and exit therefrom, flexible or resilient connecting means from said operating mechanism to said valves to open and'close them alternately, a counting mechanism and means operated by one of the said movable walls of the said measuring chamber adapted to registereach volumetric movement of the said chamber wall, substantially as described.

A. A gas meter having in combination an expansible and contractible measuring chamber or chambers each having a movable wall, a gravity controlled valve operat ing mechanism comprising a pivoted lever, a movable weight carried at the upper end thereof and adapted to move relatively to said lever under the action of gravity when the lever passes a point of unstable equilibrium, a valve box on the movable wall of each measuring chamber, two valve seatings in each valve box, valves for co-acting there- 71th,- .a rocking bar for operating aid valves, adjustable means by which the angular movement can be varied for the opening and closing operations of the valves for con: trolling the gas admission to and exit from the said Valve box, controlling means from In testimony whereof I have signed my said operating mechanism to said Valves to name to this specification in the presence of 10 open and close them alternately, a counting two subscribing Witnesses.

mechanism and means operated by one of the said movable Walls of the said measur- THOMAS JACKSON ing chamber adapted to register each volu- Witnesses:

metric movement of the said chamber Wall, WALTER CARVER,

substantially as described. ROBERT HUGH SHAW.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

